State of Jefferson: Modoc decides to join effort

Thursday

Sep 26, 2013 at 5:38 PM

Kevin Dickinson and Skye Kinkade

The Modoc County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday morning to join Siskiyou County in the effort to withdraw from the state of California, forming the new state of Jefferson.The vote was unanimous 4-0, according the Modoc County Record. Supervisors David Allen, John Pedersen, Kathie Alves and Geri Byrne all voted yes; Supervisor James Wills was absent from the Sept. 24 meeting, according to the Modoc County Board of Supervisors office. The vote came after more than a half hour of discussion."I'm excited about the Modoc vote," said Louise Gliatto, member of the Jefferson Declaration Committee. "We're just going to get one after another; that's what we're going for."Fellow member Liz Bowen attended the Modoc board meeting. She said, "We didn't know what we were going to get," but said that once the vote came in, "We were ecstatic."During the Modoc board discussion, Bowen spoke to the supervisors on her concerns on how encumbered California has become with regulations.Mark Baird, spokesperson for the Jefferson Declaration Committee, also spoke to the board on the secession advocates' grievances, how the constitution allows for such a separation and on how difficult it will be."Is it going to be hard? Sure it is," Baird said to the Daily News. "But Americans are good at doing difficult things."He added that county board of supervisor declarations will not be the end game in achieving the formation of a new state, since county boards are not in an authoritative position to make that decision.Instead, he said local residents need to appeal to California citizens in southern counties, showing them that it is in the economic interests of all to create the state of Jefferson. Then, in a joint effort, these citizens will need to convince their legislators that this move will be advantageous to both California and the potential state."It's something we need to take charge of locally," Baird said.When asked what was next for the movement, Bowen said people have been connecting with the committee and asking how to approach their supervisors to create similar declarations. She said citizens from at least 10 counties – not counting Siskiyou or Modoc – have contacted them so far and added the campaign was "becoming multi-partisan.""Where this goes and the momentum that's built will really be up to the people," Bowen said.